This album does experiment with a nice spectrum of musical influence from different places, yet ties it together with the band’s aforementioned gothic doom-death sound.

The newest release by English gothic death-doom legends Paradise Lost, Medusa, is a superb effort that showcases the subgenre nicely. The album was released on September 1st, 2017 by Nuclear Blast Records.

While the album has a predominant “melancholic doom” sound to it, I like the occasional segments influenced by other subgenres. For example: the track “Blood and Chaos” I find to have some good ol’ classic metal/hard rock energy to it, while the track “No Passage for The Dead” seemed more death-influenced than the other tracks. The album’s title track is very catchy and memorable; with its piano melodies, solo guitar riff, and mostly clean vocals. This one gushes pure, raw emotion.

As for specific moments on the album that stand out, the opening and main melody on the album’s second track “Gods of Ancient” is very groovy and helps lead the listener into the rest of the album nicely. I also like the intro of “The Longest Winter” – specifically the way that the ambience leads into the opening riff. The songs “Blood and Chaos” and “Medusa” should be particularly noted as two tracks that are highlights.

I imagine that if it weren’t for those previously-mentioned external influences, my one complaint about this album would be that it could sound a bit “same-y” to some, but I think that Paradise Lost have done a good job mixing it up, as it were, and have done so with beautiful results.

The album does a very good job of capturing the feeling of the subgenre while simultaneously playing with new, unique ideas. It also does experiment with a nice spectrum of musical influence from different places, yet ties it together with the band’s aforementioned “gothic doom-death” sound. While I haven’t yet listened to any of their prior releases as of yet, I can safely say that I will be checking them out and am looking forward to their next record. I recommend if you haven’t already, to listen to this release if you are a fan of Disma, DécembreNoir, or the lead guitarist and keyboardist, Greg Mackintosh’s other project, Vallenfyre.

Tracklist:
1. Fearless Sky
2. Gods of Ancient
3. From the Gallows
4. The Longest Winter
5. Medusa
6. No Passage for The Dead
7. Blood and Chaos
8. Until the Grave